Table 3.
General characteristics in relation to resting heart ratea
| HF ≤25th percentile | 25th <HF ≤50th percentile | 50th <HF <75th percentile | HF ≥75th percentile | p-value* | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total, n (%)b | 409 (26.4) | 384 (24.7) | 366 (23.6) | 393 (25.3) | |
| -Men, n (%)c | 248 (60.6) | 190 (49.5) | 162 (44.3) | 152 (38.7) | <0.01 |
| -Women, n (%)c | 161 (39.4) | 194 (50.5) | 204 (55.7) | 241 (61.3) | |
| -Job strain ratio >1, n (%)c | 138 (33.7) | 160 (41.7) | 151 (41.3) | 172 (43.8) | <0.01 |
| -Job strain ratio ≤1, n (%)c | 271 (66.3) | 224 (58.3) | 215 (58.7) | 221 (56.2) | |
| Mean age | 44.4 | 46.7 | 46.3 | 46.6 | <0.01 |
| Age, range (median) | 25–69 (44) | 26–67 (48) | 25–66 (47) | 24–71 (48) | |
| Mean diastolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 78.5 | 80.8 | 82.6 | 83.7 | <0.01 |
| Mean systolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 123.4 | 126.1 | 127.5 | 129.5 | <0.01 |
| Mean BMI (kg/m2) | 24.8 | 25.3 | 25.6 | 26.3 | <0.01 |
| BMI, n (%)c | <0.01** | ||||
| -Underweight (BMI <18.5 kg/m2) | 1 (0.2) | 1 (0.3) | 3 (0.8) | 3 (0.8) | |
| -Normal weight (18.5 ≤BMI <25 kg/m2) | 235 (57.5) | 198 (51.6) | 167 (45.6) | 169 (43.0) | |
| -Overweight (25 ≤BMI <30 kg/m2) | 152 (37.2) | 147 (38.3) | 153 (41.8) | 150 (38.2) | |
| -Obese (BMI ≥30 kg/m2) | 21 (5.1) | 38 (9.9) | 43 (11.8) | 71 (18.1) | |
| Waist measure, mean (cm) | 84.9 | 86.2 | 87.0 | 88.1 | <0.01 |
| Current smokers, (%)c | 54 (20.8) | 61 (23.5) | 74 (28.5) | 71 (27.3) | 0.05 |
| Leisure time physical activity, n (%)c | <0.01 | ||||
| -Sedentary leisure time | 25 (6.1) | 39 (10.2) | 39 (10.7) | 44 (11.2) | |
| -Moderate exercise during leisure time | 175 (42.9) | 225 (58.8) | 222 (60.7) | 267 (68.1) | |
| -Regular exercise and training | 182 (44.6) | 111 (28.9) | 97 (26.5) | 78 (19.9) | |
| -Hard exercise or competitive sports | 26 (6.4) | 8 (2.1) | 8 (2.2) | 3 (0.8) | |
| Education, n (%)c | <0.01 | ||||
| -Compulsory school | 39 (9.5) | 42 (10.9) | 55 (15.1) | 57 (14.5) | |
| -Lower secondary school | 71 (17.4) | 84 (21.9) | 80 (22.0) | 101 (25.7) | |
| -Upper secondary school | 119 (29.1) | 103 (26.8) | 95 (26.1) | 107 (27.4) | |
| -University education | 180 (44.0) | 155 (40.4) | 134 (36.8) | 127 (32.4) |
a25th percentile = 54 bpm, 50th percentile = 60 bpm, 75th percentile = 67 bpm
bRow percentage
cColumn percentage
*Presented for significant differences between HF ≤25th percentile and HF ≥75th percentile. T-test was used for continuous variables and chi2 for categorical variables
**Fisher’s exact test was used since the number of underweight subjects in the different categories were less than 5, rendering the chi2-test potentially invalid